Sussex Branch Trail
NJ - 21.2 miles
Surfaces: Cinder,Dirt,Grass
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This trail is great. Beautiful scenery, great downtown area, lots to do!
My husband and I rode this trail today (3-31-26) and had a great experience. The trail is well-maintained and the downtown area is so cute. We stopped a couple of times for lunch and coffee. I would highly recommend this trail. Beautiful trees and open spaces, with lots of rest stops throughout the ride.
I'm staying at the Marriott Courtyard off of Main and Braeswood Blvd. I wanted to get a work out in and avoid the hotel gym and realized I could get on this trail with a short walk from my hotel. It's definitely an urban trail, but I enjoyed it. Spotted wildflowers, ducks, fish, and passed other walkers, runners, and bikers. All in all, recommend!
I rode this trail today starting at Jane Beshear TH in Royalton south to Tip Top Tunnel and then back up to Hagerhill and returned to Jane Beshear. The trail to Tip Top was in pretty good shape but the scenery was saddening at time with peoples living conditions. The last couple tenths of a mile to Tip Top Tunnel was some rough gravel but walkable at a minimum and rideable if you are so inclined. North of Jane Beshears to scenery is wonderful especially north of Gun Creek Tunnel. Just south of Swamp Branch TH I startled a group of horses in their enclosure and a big white pyrenes guard dog got up and stared at me. He figured I wasn't a threat, so he just watched me ride by without incident. I did get have several encounters with dogs south of Jane Beshears TH but only one chased me and I was able to ride away from him. I think he was just chasing me off "his" section of the trail as he stopped chasing me when he reached the end of his property. The north end of the trail stopped at Big Sandy Heating and Cooling a little bit before the endpoint shown on the map.
There were a few spots if you wanted to have a seat otherwise just somewhere paved to get some steps in. There’s supposed to be some additions coming.
Our family loves this trail for it's wide, flat route that provides great views of the bay, connections to other trails like the Back Cove Trail and the Bayside Trail, and connections to the Old Port and Eastern Prom (beach, playground, greenspace, etc.).
The greenway now extends to the southwest and ends at the Apex Nature Park. Overall length from Jaycee Park to Apex Nature Park is about 5 miles. Great nature ride. Well designed
Was a nice trail in early spring.
Nice & smooth with a good round distance.
My wife and I rode the Floyd’s Fork section today. The weather was beautiful and the trail was pretty and fun! Some parts are in the trees and bushes and you feel like you’ve gotten away from the world. The trail itself is well maintained. We came across many people who were walking, jogging and biking. If you are a biker and moving a little too fast, you will need to be careful on the bends so you don’t get in a “tight spot” with other people! we truly enjoyed riding on this section of the loop.
Great trail that is paved. Very nice views of Pymatuming Lake. Would definitely ride again.
My favorite to go to with my dogs. There is never a lot of people and easy terrain.
Our family took a springtime bike ride on the southern section of the South Boulder Creek Trail from the Bobolink Trailhead on Baseline Road south to just beyond the US 36 underpass (roughly 3 miles one way). It was a pleasant outing with gorgeous mountain views and rural countryside. We saw a few birds, a couple horses, and lots of cows (including calves). The trail surface was a mix of pavement and crushed stone; both well maintained. On a sunny Saturday afternoon, we saw lots of other bikers, joggers, dogwalkers, and families out enjoying the trail.
Paved, rather short, but passes thru some niceky preserved wetlands. Bonus: it also goes past Jakob Two Trees, a large troll artwork done by a Danish artist.
The *Emerald Necklace* is an effort to link greenways and local streets into a continuous loop through the northern part of Mecklenburg County, primarily around Cornelius and Davidson. The concept is excellent—creating a connected network for cyclists and walkers—but the current experience is a mix of enjoyable greenway riding and more challenging on-road navigation. Your enjoyment will largely depend on your comfort level riding on streets. At some point in the future, the western portion of the system is expected to connect with a greenway extending to Huntersville.
Riders should be prepared for sections that transition onto streets, some of which are busy or narrow. There are also several crossings at high-traffic intersections that require caution. Currently, connecting the eastern and western portions of the Necklace requires riding along very busy Catawba Avenue or Sam Furr Road, which may be uncomfortable for some cyclists.
To make the experience more enjoyable, we’ve found it best to ride the Necklace in sections rather than attempting the full loop at once, thereby avoiding some of the more difficult road segments. Signage and naming can also be confusing—for example, the trail beginning at Shearer Road is referred to by different names on various maps, making navigation less intuitive. And the signs on the street along this route and small and easy to miss.
On our most recent outing, we completed an out-and-back ride on the South Prong Rocky River Greenway, traveling from Shearer Road to the River Run Athletic Field. Much of this segment follows neighborhood streets rather than a dedicated greenway. While the River Run area is quite lovely, the bike lanes are in need of repainting, and signage directing riders from one street to another is minimal or nonexistent.
Parking is available at various points along the route, but locating access points can be challenging. It is helpful to download a trail map in advance:
[https://www.carolinathreadtrailmap.org/trails/trail/south-prong-rocky-river-greenway]
The terrain in this section is notably hilly, adding an extra level of challenge to the ride.
**Overall:**
A promising and scenic concept that still needs improved signage, clearer mapping, and safer, more consistent bike infrastructure to fully realize its potential.
